Destiny
by No Bass Without Voice
Summary: (Changed summary) New mutants centered! Ray is a little depressed lately, maybe Amara can drag him out of his misery? AMARAY, Rohne, Jubby and many more! AU, rated T to be R&R please!
1. Sadness

**This is my first fanfic so don't be too harsh on me please! English isn't my first language, Flemish is (I'm from Belgium), so warn me if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes!**

**Review if you want! I would really appreciate it. :) So, here's chapter 1 (EDITED!). Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Recommended song: Not Giving In (Ft. John Newman &amp; Alex Clare) - Rudimental<p>

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution or some brands I named in this chapter.

* * *

><p>Chapter 1: Sadness<p>

In Bayville, the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters was completely empty and abandoned, or that was how it seemed to be. In the library sat a boy, all alone.

His name was Ray "Berzerker" Crisp, a mutant that could produce electricity. He always wore an orange DC T-shirt, dark blue skinny jeans, a brown leather belt and honey mustard Vans (for pictures, see profile). He had a bad temper and was quickly irritated, but also was a happy and funny person. He had a streak of blond hair in the middle of his head running down from his forehead to halfway. A couple orange spikes/bangs stood up in front of his head.

He had been sad and depressed for a while now. He sank away in his thoughts as he sat in his chair. "Why? Why does my life suck so much? I was always on my own and will always be. I'm always bored. What happened to the exitement in my life that everyone has in his life?" Ray sighed. He talked about it a lot with his best of friends Roberto, but he couldn't find a way to help him. So he thought some more...

In Jean Grey's room the tension was smashing. The girls of the Institute were preparing Jean's room, the biggest girls' room in the Institute, for a small party. Since the X-Men and Brotherhood were no longer enemies, the X-Men invited the Brotherhood to come live with them and they happily obliged. Logan also contacted Laura to ask her to move in with them. It took Logan a while to convince her since she is the independent type, but he succeeded 's why she lived with them now. It turned out so that Wanda and Laura were attending the party aswell.

The present girls were:

Jubilation "Jubilee" Lee. Her straight black hair grew longer and she didn't tuck it behind her ears anymore. She was wearing a plain white top with a yellow vintage American jacket on top, heart-shaped earrings with "X-Men" written on them, blue destroyed boyfriend jeans and low yellow Converse All-Stars (for pictures, see profile). She was Chinese-American. She could create fireworks. She had a secret crush on Bobby "Iceman" Drake.

Kitty "Shadowcat" Pryde. She wore her long light brown hair in a messy bun and she was wearing a short light blue polka dot bustier dress, a pink diamante necklace and mocha tassel loafers (for pictures, see profile). Her ability was to phase through solid objects and disable any electrical mechanisms while phasing. She and her love interest Lance " Avalanche" Alvers were both from Northbrook, Illinois.

Jean Grey. She was wearing a turquoise long sleeved shirt, tight crème trousers and black mocassin loafers (for pictures, see profile). She possessed telekinesis and telepathy. She and Scott "Cyclops" Summers were more than just good friends for a long time.

Wanda "Scarlet Witch" Maximoff. She grew her straight black hair long and cut a straight pony. She lost the heavy Goth look including her make-up. She was wearing a short red lace-up dress and knee high black Dr. Martens boots (for pictures, see profile). She and her brother were both from Romania. She could produce hexes and manipulate energy around her. She was still a little suspicious around men, so she didn't have a crush on somebody.

Rahne "Wolfsbane" Sinclair. Like Kitty, she grew her wavy red hair long and wore it down. She was wearing a navy floral scoop top, tucked into some high waist denim shorts in acid wash with side lattice detail and brown Jeffrey Campbell cut out tassel derbies (for pictures, see profile). She was from Scotland, so she had a strong Gaelic accent. As a two possibility shape-shifter, she could morph into a "wolfwoman" and full wolf. For what felt like an eternity now, she denied her obvious crush on Roberto "Sunspot" DaCosta.

Laura "X-23" Kinney/Logan. She still wore her black hair down, but it grew longer and she had an undercut. She was wearing a crop top with Aztec print, high waisted very short worn out high-waisted jean shorts and black creepers (for pictures, see profile). She had sensitive smell and hearing, two adamantium claws on each hand and one on each foot. Though she would never confess it, she had a soft spot for Pietro "Quicksilver" Maximoff.

Amanda Sefton. She wore her brown long wavy hair in a ponytail. She was wearing a metallic pink floral lace top, dark blue skinny jeans and Gucci high-heeled brown wedge sandals (for pictures, see profile). She doesn't have any mutant powers. Soon, she caught the attention of Kurt "Nightcrawler" Wagner and since then, they were deeply in love. (A/N: I know Amanda Sefton in the comics does have powers, and that she's called Daytripper, but that's all I know so I'm just gonna leave it 'Evolution' way.)

Anna-Marie "Rogue". She lost the Goth look and she had her hair like Rogue in TAS. She wore a black and white top with collar, pine green skinny jeans, black Dr. Martens shoes with a black and white polka dotted bow and black bowed satin wrist gloves. (for pictures, see profile). So she created her own special look. She was born in Mississippi, so she spoke in a strong Southern accent. She could absorb other persons' memories, abilities and powers through skin-on-skin contact, causing unconciousness and in the worst cases, death. She was deeply intrigued by the mysterious Remy "Gambit" LeBeau (whom I picture the TAS-way, Rogue too btw ).

While cleaning the floor, Kitty began talking about Ray. "Hey, you guys know what? Like 20 minutes ago, I saw Ray sitting alone in the library looking very down and unhappy. I don't know what's wrong with him. He has been that way for weeks now. We can't possibly leave him that way for the rest of his life!"

"You're so right." the Scottish mutant said. "If only he had something to live for!"

"Like a passion maybe?" Laura suggested, lazily picking her nails with her claws.

"We've gotta help him somehow!" Amanda stated. She was rather enthousiastic about the idea.

"But the problem is: he doesn't like to be around many people all the time, let alone many people wanting to help him." Wanda said.

"Well, that's true..." Jean commented. The girls looked a bit dissapointed. They were left alone with an unsolvable riddle.

A strong breeze blew into the library where many thoughts flew in the air.

My life is stupid! Nothing happens here in this darn building! God, I need a miracle. What if I go look for Roberto? Ah, no, I have to sit with a bunch of happy people cheering around reminding me that I'll never gonna be that happy. Ever. So, not interested. Being with them now is the last thing that I want. Oh well; I'm just another misfit that nobody wants around. I have nobody. Nothing. I never have.

Sigh.

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I really suck at endings...<strong>

**So, that was my first chapter! This was more of an introduction chappie, but the real story is about to start in the second.**

**Like it? Love it? Want more? Review! :D**

**I will update as soon as possible.**

**Bye for now!**

**~NoBassWithoutVoice**


	2. Confessions, Bondings and a Pleasant

**Hi! Here I am again! Sorry for the awful long wait, I'm very disappointed in myself. Because English isn't my first language, it's really hard for me to write, also my time is very limited. That's why I decided to write this story especially for myself. Don't get me wrong, I love reviews and I would really like to do it for the readers, but I just can't because I'll disappoint them way too hard, I'm sorry. In case you're thinking: why does she put the story on Fanfiction if she doesn't do it especially for the readers?, here's your answer: I want to give the people who like the story and don't care about the long waits the chance to still follow it and keep reading it. Maybe this story could change the way you feel or think about things, you never know.**

**I edited the first chapter a little bit because of the lovely 'flying feather scribbles' and I wanted to say a couple things to her/him:**

**Thank you sooo much for reviewing, it's because of you I want to even try harder c: , and thanks for correcting my mistakes, I hope I got it right this time! I think your story is very interesting and I am definitely going to read it! So to make a long story short, you are a wonderful person for giving me hope and reviewing, and I too believe we can do this! :D**

**To all readers named Guest: Thank you! I really appreciate your reviews and your support! It's really nice to have readers who believe in me. It's because of those I ran upstairs just now to finish everything, so a million thanks to you guys! You rock!**

**Now, onwards with the story! (I edited the content of the first chapter a little, concluding that the possibilities of ideas to continue this story were very small with the first content, so yeah )**

**~NoBassWithoutVoice**

* * *

><p>Recommended songs: Tidal Wave (Ft. Alpine) - Sub Focus ~ Hey Man (Now You're Really Living) - Eels<p>

Disclaimer: I don't own X-Men Evolution, some brands I named in this chapter, Amnesia: The Dark Descent and spinoff Justine, The House of the Dead EX, Street Fighter 2, the SEGA Lindbergh game station and SEGA. PS: I've snuck in a reference (a character name) to one of the games listed above. If you can find it, PM me or review! (which game, the actual reference and what the creators of the game used the name for) This isn't a contest, just a little fun (oh, and I don't own the name). ;)

* * *

><p>Chapter 2: Confessions, Bondings and a Pleasant Surprise<p>

~_With the girls in Jean's room_~

For the party, the girls decorated Jean's room as best as they could. They bought scented candles that smelled like a pineapple forest and roses in the summer air. The curtains were closed and a couple of dimmed lights made the room very cosy. Kitty worked all day to clean the floor and now it was so clean, you could practically eat from the floor. The beds were nicely cleaned and they brought a few more sofas into the room so everyone had a place to sit.

Rogue and Wanda sat on a blue sofa, silently reading and discussing the latest news. Jean was polishing her nails in a bright red colour that matched her hair. Laura rolled her eyes at the fascination Jubilee had for her 'sharp as hell' claws, but secretly, she loved the attention.

Kitty and Amanda sat together, gossiping on the bed. You could hear them clearly, even if you were 2 streets away from the mansion. "Have you seen Bar Rafaeli's new look? Those curls look totally awful on her, don't you think?"

"Not at all, I think it's very pretty on her! Besides, weren't you complaining last week about how you just couldn't get your hair to curl those pretty curls like her?" Amanda giggled when Kitty blushed a crimson red. "I do remember me saying that, but that doesn't mean that I like them on her!"

"I'll quote your exact words from two weeks ago: Oh my god, she looks totally fabulous with those curls! I want them, I want them!" Kitty sighed in defeat. "Ok, ok, you were right. I am still sad about that though." She said with a pout. "You know what, Kitty, tomorrow I'll help you try one more time, ok?" Amanda smiled at the perky girl. Kitty jumped Amanda. "You're the best!" Amanda pushed Kitty away and coughed. "No need to strangle me for that, Kitty."

"Oops!" They just laughed.

They suddenly looked up when they heard the door open and a certain red haired Scot barged in. "I have splendid news, lasses! Amara's coming back here in three days!" They all turned their heads towards Rahne in awe. Soon, the room was filled with everyone yelling questions at Rahne. She shook her head, summoned her inner wolf, and growled as loud as she could. The room quieted immediately. "Oh how I love doing that." She thought, and smirked silently. She walked forward, sat herself in the middle of the room and motioned her friends to come sit around her.

"I'll explain everything from the beginning. Oh, just so you know I know everything from the Professor, who told me to tell you guys." The girls nodded, eagerly waiting for what she had to say. "Amara returned today, she just arrived at her aunt's house. It were two difficult years there in Nova Roma, but everything is stable now. Her training continued there, so she won't be behind on us. She will be staying with her aunt for three more days, and then she'll move back here to meet Ray, since he was only recruited a year after Amara left, and eventually to stay. Of course, Amara will go to school together with us tomorrow. I think that's all…oh no, wait! The Professor also wanted me to tell you something else, it has nothing to do with Amara though."

"Then please enlighten us." Laura said impatiently with a gruff voice. "Ok, I'll cut right to the chase, since Laura asked so nicely." Laura let out a growl. "Magneto has managed to free the Acolytes again. They are free and on the run." She received a couple of gasps from her crowd. She herself let out a sigh and continued. "Xavier last located them using Cerebro in what he thinks is their hideout, an abandoned mall just outside town. The Professor sensed that maybe they're up to something, so he advised to keep your eyes open and never let your guard down." She tapped her chin with her finger thoughtfully. "I think that's it."

The news brought mixed feelings to the group. They were all exited that Amara was back and they wanted to talk to her about everything that has happened the two years she was away. It was really good to know that she was okay and they didn't expect her to return so quickly regarding the massive issues in Nova Roma. But then again, the bad news about the Acolytes really put them on edge. They knew Magneto's henchmen were stronger now that they had time to rest and regain their strength. There was no doubt that Magneto had improved their powers somehow. And they were planning something, probably another attack for no reason at all. Great. They thought about all the disadvantages it held for them.

Curfew was now moved to nine o'clock instead of eleven, if you wanted to go out, even for school, you had to report it to the Professor or any other teacher for permission. The lights in the rooms were turned off automatically at ten o' clock. And the worst of all, Wolverine was patrolling the mansion 24/7 so that anybody who made the slightest noise, would have to accompany him on extra Danger Room sessions for a week. Xavier told them it was for the best. He was after all responsible for them and their safety.

The girls decided to not let it bother them too much and went back to chatting the night away. They kept sitting in the same circle as before. Somehow the topic changed to boys, and everyone knew that especially Kitty loved to gossip about boys. Damn, that girl loved gossiping in general. With Ray's issue left behind, she talked about the other boys. "You know, Laura, ever since the Brotherhood moved in with us, which isn't very long ago, I noticed that Pietro has an interest in you…" Kitty said in a singy voice. Laura balled her fists and responded loudly. "He does not! Why do you even think that?!" Kitty was a bit taken aback, but she recovered quickly and continued with a grin spread on her heart-shaped face. "I bet he likes you!" That did it for Laura. Subconsciously, she sheathed her claws at Kitty, her emotions completely took over. In fear, Kitty fell over on the ground, covering her head with her arms.

Laura came to her senses and realised what she's done. "Shit." She thought. "Kitty, I'm so sorry, I had no self-control, I didn't mean to do it, I just…" she was cut off by Kitty who smiled a bright smile when she said: "It's no big deal Laura, really, you couldn't help it." Laura hung her head in shame. The lack of self-control made her feel miserable. She had been working on this with Logan for ages now, and still sometimes she slipped. Her face brightened a bit when she heard Kitty's words. "Thanks." she said, scratching the back of her neck nervously. "But what made you want to attack me, was it the things I said?" Laura just laughed at the innocence of the brown haired girl. "Just forget it, Kitty, please." she said with a half-smile on her always severe looking face.

Kitty decided to drop it, sat back and examined her hair in the mirror. Laura decided to just spit it out. "Ok maybe he does, but I couldn't care less. He is such a macho. He thinks he's sooo tough, but really, he's a little bitch." The girls laughed at Laura's typical comment. "But hey, you should be lucky 'cause you have your bad boy Lance, who is as sweet as a grandma on a Sunday after you." Now it was Kitty's turn to feel nervous. She lightly started tugging the hem of her dress. "Not at all! And he's such a jerk, he was the leader of the Brotherhood for God's sake, and I think that explains a lot." she huffed, not really believing her own words. Lance has changed, he really has. "Ok, no need to get feisty." Laura grinned.

"I think I have something relevant to add to this subject." Jubilee, who was rather quiet during the evening, said in a mocked formal voice. "Roberto likes Rahne." she stated bluntly. Rahne didn't even bother to open her mouth and threw one of her famous deadly glares at her. Jubilee took the message and kept her mouth shut, but the twinkle in her eyes didn't disappear. When Rahne wasn't looking, she mouthed "He really does, it's so obvious!" to her friends while wildly pointing at Rahne. The girls could barely contain their laughter, but they managed to anyway. Rahne was looking down, cursing the butterflies she felt in her stomach when hearing his name. She shook her head and hoped that her friends didn't see the blush forming on her face. "Well, I could say the same about you and Bobby, if you know what I mean…" she said tauntingly. Jubilee kept her cool and said: "Whatever you say." She was trying to believe she didn't care for the prankster at all. But oh, how could she resist his funniness? She couldn't but she would. She promised it to herself, and she was determined to keep her promise.

"Oh yeah, Amanda, I forgot to ask you how your date with Kurt went last night. How did it go?" Jubilee asked Amanda, who was absently staring at the wall. "Hello, Amanda? Are you planning on staring at the wall until the paint dries again?" Amanda snapped out of it when she heard Jubilee's loud remark. "Huh, were you talking to me?" "Yes, Amanda, I was asking you how your date with Kurt went last night?" she said, laughing at her surprised face. "It was heavenly", she exclaimed, sighing. "He gave me a bouquet of orchids, my favourites. Then he took me to the park and blindfolded my eyes. When I opened them, I saw an electronic banner in the centre of town that said: Amanda, I love you. It was the sweetest thing! Afterwards we saw a movie in the rec room on the couch. It was so cosy, and so I fell asleep in his arms. It was really an amazing night." She smiled widely, recalling the events of last night. The girls sighed in awe, it was so romantic!

Rogue and Wanda were minding their own interesting conversation. They sat separated from the group, talking about something you would never expect from the former Goths. "You know he has a six-pack, right?" "That's such a weak argument." "It's not. And you know it. Weren't you the one who loved guys with six-packs, sweetie?" Rogue said in a loving voice to a madly blushing Wanda. "Oh you woman, you know me far too well." She shook her head, laughing. "Our little argument about the amazing question 'Who is physically the hottest Acolyte besides Colossus?' is pointless, we all know it's Gambit." "Hey! I know he doesn't show it off that much, but he is much more muscled than your precious Remy!" Rogue smirked, pleased with what she was about to say. "Who do you mean? That skinny pyromaniac that calls himself a man?" "HE IS NOT SKINNY!" exclaimed a furious Wanda. Rogue smiled. She enjoyed getting Wanda mad. Wanda sighed. "How many times do I have to repeat it? I saw him shirtless for God's sake!" Wanda covered her mouth with her hand as soon as she realised what she just said. "YOU DID WHAT?!"

"Fuck." Wanda thought. She has given Rogue ammo for, let's say, the rest of her life. "When? Why? Where? Did he see you?" Rogue was grinning madly, her face just centimetres away from Wanda. "You look like a crazy person." "I know, and I don't care." "Ok, ok, I'll tell you everything from the beginning." Wanda said with an exasperated sigh. Inside, she was actually glad she could tell her 'secret' she's been bottling up for a year.

"The Brotherhood, including me, were on a mission to spy on the Acolytes to intercept their plans." Rogue nodded and motioned Wanda to go on. "So we went to their secret base, well it was until we found out about it of course. Fred spied on Colossus, Todd was watching Sabretooth, Lance took Gambit, Pietro followed Magneto, I mean my father, and I was left with Pyro. I wasn't happy about it, until I found out what he was doing." "Setting his sheets on fire?" Rogue interrupted with a guessing look on her face.

"No, he was _showering_." Wanda corrected, her voice softening as she spoke the last word. Rogue grinned happily and rose her eyebrows at Wanda. She rolled her eyes and continued. "So as I was saying, he was showering. I first had to find a way to remove the steam from the windows on the inside. At last, it was no biggie using my magic. As in perfect timing, he stepped out of the shower wearing nothing but a towel, his wet hair hanging aside of his face. His appearance took all my doubts away. He was so handsome, muscled, perfect abs and, I bet, he had an even larger six-pack than that thief of yours." Wanda finished with a pleased, haughty look on her face. "How many?" "Eight." "Goddammit." Rogue cursed while Wanda practically burst out in laughter.

Wanda abruptly stopped laughing, her eyes widening and a smirk forming on her face. She faced Rogue. "Wait. How do you know how many Gambit has?" Rogue turned a crimson red. From ghost to Indian in less than a second. "He he, y'know…just, eeh…" Rogue was panicking, and therefore stuttering. "No need to explain," Wanda said, still grinning. "I saw your screensaver." Rogue felt utterly embarrassed, but she knew Wanda wouldn't tell anyone. As if Wanda was reading her mind, she said: "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Rogue smiled at her best friend. Rogue knew she could always count on her, and vice versa.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes, when Rogue suddenly broke it. "But do enlighten me, you don't have feelings for Pyro, right?" Wanda looked at Rogue with a shocked expression, as if she just confessed she murdered someone. "Where the _hell _did you get that idea from? I just think he's kinda hot, that's all. And I will never go with someone who is collaborating with my lovely father." she spit out with as much hate as she could. "Whoa, calm down, I was just asking." Rogue put her hands up in defence. "I know, I'm sorry, I just had to make my point you know." She hit Rogue playfully in the stomach. She laughed and began to tickle Wanda, who was now in tears, clutching her stomach. "HAHAHAHAHA! NO! STOP IT! PLEASE!" "I WON'T SHOW ANY MERCY!" Rogue said with a devilish grin and began to tickle Wanda again.

It soon became very late and so the last story that was told came from Jean, who has also had a date like Amanda, but with Scott of course. It ended up with Scott blasting their names in a tree in the park. It was no surprise for the girls, in fact, they were expecting it to happen. They knew only Scott was cheesy enough to pull it off. But Jean thought it was super sweet of him, and Scott was happy about the praises he got from his girlfriend so he wasn't complaining. At all. The girls then went to bed, they wanted to get enough sleep because they had school tomorrow. Jubilee was the last one to drift off to sleep, she was really excited to see Amara in school tomorrow.

~_With the boys in the Rec. Room_~

The Rec. Room was very large, with a royal red coloured carpet covering the whole floor, crème walls and silk brown curtains. There was a pool table in the centre of the room that Logan claimed as his. Nobody dared to touch it because of that very reason. Other than the pool table, there were arcade game stations against the wall, an 80 inch flat screen TV with internet access, a 30 inch computer with Windows 8, 5 satin sofas with place for 15 people, a large bookcase with books about all subjects imaginable, and last but not least, a stuffed candy and soda machine. It was heaven for a teenager. The boys, now including the Brotherhood (Roberto, Sam, Jamie, Scott, Lance, Pietro, Todd and Fred) were watching Ray and Bobby play multiplayer mode in Call of Duty. (I don't really know if it exists, a friend of mine told me it does, so no complaints please ) Ray died again, for the 30th time now. (Kurt wasn't with them, he had an appointment at the dentists. When he went out, he was wearing a white 'I am a YouTube star!' T-shirt, d ark blue loose fitting trousers and red Puma high-tops (for pictures, see profile).

"You so suck at this game. I'm not even joking, Ray. I thought you were better at this." said the grinning boy with the neatly combed brown hair. He was wearing a blue Carhartt T-shirt, crème shorts and baby blue Vans (for pictures, see profile). His name was Bobby "Iceman" Drake, also known as 'The Prankster'. He could create ice and cover himself completely in ice. His co-player looked at him with a straight face. "Normally I'm very good at this, but lately I've been losing it a little, I guess." Roberto "Sunspot" DaCosta, a tall dark-skinned Brazilian boy with curling black hair sat in the single couch. He had super-strength coming from the sun and could also fly using his powers. When Roberto used his powers, he transformed in a special form in which he was completely black except his eyes and mouth. He was wearing a burgundy Jack & Jones pullover with a round neckline that really showed off how muscled his arms were, light blue tight fitting jeans, and brown leather Vans (for pictures, see profile). Throughout the weeks, he slowly saw his best friend getting worse and worse.

It started a couple weeks ago with just a little sadness. He became more depressed and no one knew the real reason. Except Roberto. He stood by him and was there for him all the way. He was his best friend after all. Ray had major trust issues and he only trusted Roberto, who earned it, somehow. The truth is that Ray was lonely. Extremely lonely. He spent his childhood alone, since he is an orphan. (I don't know if he is really an orphan in Evolution, but in this story he is) His time with the Morlocks was pretty lonely too because he thought he didn't fit in with the misfits. And when he was invited to the Institute a year ago, he felt lonely again. He wouldn't admit it to anyone, stubborn as he was. He always put up a tough front, but sometimes, he slipped. When people asked him what was wrong, he just said he had a bad day. If that was true, his whole life would be just a bad day. He really tried to open up to people, but he just couldn't, no matter how hard he tried. It was that stupid trust issue of his, and now it was finally driving him insane. He didn't know what to do anymore.

Roberto saw Ray was worked up because of the game and decided to help him out of his misery. "Come on guys, you've been playing for hours now, don't you think now is a good time to stop?" Ray shot him a look, his eyes saying 'thank you'. Roberto just smiled and nodded, as if he was saying 'anytime'. "You know, you're right. My eyes are hurting." Bobby said while rubbing his eyes. He then stood up and walked over to the arcade games. Ray rolled his eyes, stood up and turned the TV off. "He is unbelievable." he stated. Roberto chuckled. "Let him be, as long as he's not freezing our asses off, it's all good." "I am just a few meters from you, you know?" Roberto turned his head. "We know." Bobby smirked and focused back on the game after he muttered: "Dumbass."

Lance and Jamie, who've become really good friends, stood by the candy machine. Lance saw Jamie as the little brother he never had, and Jamie thought the same about Lance. "Just go talk to her already, I know you want to." Jamie teasingly said, tilting his head all the way up to get a view at the older boy's face, his big and innocent blue eyes meeting Lance's rough brown ones. Jamie "Multiple Man" Madrox was wearing a dark blue, white-lettered Hollister hoodie, black tight fitting trousers and low blue Nike Janoski's (for pictures, see profile). As his name already gave away, he could multiply himself when he clapped his hands or if someone bumped into him. That was a disadvantage to his power. Lance "Avalanche" Alvers was wearing a dark green round neckline T-shirt, light blue ripped jeans, a fully visible brown leather belt and dark brown Chukka Timberland boots (for pictures, see profile). He could create earthquakes and therefore also manipulate the earth.

"No way, dude. I don't even know who you're talking about." Lance exclaimed, crossing his arms. He knew damn well who Jamie was talking about. The brunette girl who he shared his childhood with back in Northbrook. Back then, she saw all his bad sides, and sometimes the good one, the side he reserved only for her. He dreamed about her ever since, and when she left Northbrook for the Institute, he became furious. He didn't want her to leave at all, and so he was kind of glad he finally ended up in Bayville, where the Institute was set. Lance didn't want anyone to know, of course. When he ended up with the Brotherhood, under guidance of Mystique, they caused trouble everywhere they went and became bad. It was something he never wanted to be, but he had no choice since he had nowhere else to go except for the stupid foster home he lived in. After a while, he saw Kitty again. She became even more beautiful than how Lance remembered her from in Northbrook. Her hair was now long and let down and her ocean blue eyes were more sparkly. When the battle with Apocalypse was over, (let's say he never took a shot with her) he was ecstatic to move into the Institute. He would see her again, the angel that haunted his dreams. _His _angel.

"I've never seen such a bad liar as you. I can see it in your eyes, you know." Jamie was right, he had that twinkle in his eyes every time someone talked about her or spoke her name. Lance furrowed his brow and cursed inwardly. There was no point in arguing with Jamie due to his stubbornness he might have adopted from Lance. "Ok," he bowed his head in defeat and raised his hands. "I admit it. I…"

Jamie cut him off. " …'m officially out of the closet?" Lance face palmed himself and gritted his teeth. "No, dipshit. I like her. A lot. There you have it, happy now?" Jamie was happy he finally admitted it, though everyone could already tell. But he couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty for dragging it out of him.

"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry I pushed you to tell me. I knew you wouldn't want anyone to know." Lance looked down at Jamie, his eyes showing sympathy. "Hey, don't sweat it man. I'm glad I told you, I had to get it off my chest anyway. And you're right, I should go talk to her sometime." He gave Jamie a playful bump on his shoulder. But Jamie was 2 heads smaller than him, and Lance accidently knocked him over. He bumped into the candy machine, leaving a small crack in the glass in the upper right corner. Jamie multiplied. The brown-eyed boy was now looking at 3 Jamies, rubbing their shoulders all at the same time. Lance just shrugged his shoulders and he began to laugh. "Shit, I'm sorry. If Wolverine asks, we didn't do it, ok?" "You got my word, man." Jamie replied, smiling widely. Lance just laughed and shook his head. "Why did we become friends again?" Jamie kicked him in his shin.

The computer on the other side of the room was entirely occupied. Pietro and Todd were playing Amnesia, or in other words, Pietro was playing Amnesia and Todd was acting like a baby about it.

Pietro "Quicksilver" Maximoff was a silver haired mutant, Romanian like his sister Wanda. He was wearing a brown long sleeved T-shirt, tight fitting dark blue jeans and brown Jack and Jones Oslo Casuals (for pictures, see profile). He possessed super speed. Todd "Toad" Tolensky was wearing a plain worn out grey hoodie, faded worn out jeans and black Adidas sneakers. As he was partly a toad, he could spit out slime balls, jump very high and he had amazing agility and a very large tongue.

Very concentrated, Pietro had his eyes 5 cm from the screen as he guided Daniel through the mansion. Todd sat next to him, he was freaked out by the sounds. Pietro felt him shaking. "What a pussy." he thought, mentally smirking. But right on cue, the sound that you get when a monster enters the room you're in, started playing. Todd held onto his hoodie, almost ripping it apart. Pietro was getting nervous, since he had no health or sanity left nor Laudanum or Sanity Potion to heal him.

He hid behind a bookshelf, but that didn't work. The monster saw him and the screeching sound appeared. Pietro screamed a little before he began to run away. Todd was now on the verge of pissing himself. He didn't know why the game scared him that much, it just did. While running, Pietro turned around and found out that it was no ordinary Grunt that was chasing him, but a Suitor, the one that scared Pietro the most. He came closer and closer, mumbling scary things.

The facts that they had ear buds on and that it was full screen didn't help the situation. Pietro just freaked out and quickly pressed the off-button on the computer. With a straight face, he whispered: "I never want to play this game ever again." Todd recovered and said: "Word." They turned their chairs so they faced each other and sighed. "I can't believe we're such pussies." Todd stated. They both laughed.

At the table next to the giant bookcase, 3 young men were silently reading their own books. A boy with quartz glasses was reading a book about how to upgrade the engine of his new red Porsche. Scott "Cyclops" Summers was wearing a white long sleeved shirt with an orange argyle knitted vest on top, grey loose fitting dress pants and Louis Vuitton loafers (for pictures, see profile). He constantly shoots laser beams out of his eyes, that's why he wore his special quartz glasses all the time. His vision was always completely red.

He couldn't quite concentrate on his book. He had something else on his mind. Correction, someone. The love of his life, Jean Grey. He loved everything about her, but mostly that she understood him like no one else could. Every day, he'd complain about his sight and how he would never see any other colour than red. But the way she saw it, he wasn't complaining, he was trying to understand. So she listened to him every time and every day, knowing that that might give him hope and help him understand more. Yes, he loved her for that. He shut his book, sighed a dreamy sigh, let his arm support his heavy head, and drove off to a happy, Jean-centred world.

Opposite to Scott sat Sam. His elbows rested on the table and his hands held a book. The title said: "The best places you can ride your motorcycle." He was very passionate about motorcycles, especially dirt bikes. The farm boy was so into his book that he didn't notice his elbows slip away from underneath him. He lost balance and fell backwards. Out of his chair, head colliding with the floor. Yeah, he was a klutz. But that was just how he was.

Samuel "Cannonball" Guthrie was a true Southern boy and so was his accent, as he came from Kentucky. His hair was shorter and a little bit curly. He was wearing a black round neckline T-shirt with a red plaid lumberjack jacket on top, skinny dark blue jeans and dark brown Timberland 6 inch premium boots (for pictures, see profile). He could propel himself into the air using thermochemical energy. While flying, he couldn't be stopped and he was invulnerable. Some say he might even be an External, meaning that he was immortal. He stood up, rubbing his head. His face was as red as a tomato due to his natural shyness. He hoped that no one saw him, and luckily, no one did. Except for Fred.

He was a not so smart and really chubby boy, but he loved to help and was always there for others when they needed someone. He stood up from his chair and walked over to Sam. "Are you alright?" Fred asked, concerned. Sam looked up to him, he was grateful it was Fred. "I'm ok, thanks, Fred." he said with a smile. Fred extended his large hand and the blonde boy gladly accepted. Fred "The Blob" Dukes was wearing a red T-shirt with some comfortable jeans dungarees on top and low black boots (for pictures, see profile).

When Sam regained his posture, he looked up at Fred. "Thanks for checking up on me, I appreciate it." Fred let out a small laugh and a grin formed on his face. "No problem, glad I could help, Sam!" Fred was happy like a kid in a candy store every time someone appreciated or thanked him, even if it was just for something small. He might not be the brightest kid, but he was the most gentle, kind and caring. Sam looked up to him for that.

"So, what book were you reading, Fred?" Sam asked, as they both got seated next to each other. "Well, first I was reading a biography of Michael Jackson, but then I went to reading a dictionary because I don't really know what the word 'biography' means." he said with a puzzled look on his face. Sam just chuckled and patted his large shoulder. "You'll figure it out, don't worry." Fred smiled. "Thanks, Sam." There was a comfortable silence for a couple of minutes, until Fred spoke up. "You like Rahne, do you?" he said, bluntly and worst of all, very loud. Sam's eyes grew wide as he tried to hush Fred.

He wildly looked around, wanting to make sure no one heard him. He turned back to Fred. "Of course not, where did you get that idea?" Sam exclaimed, his head reddening, and his hand scratching the back of his neck. Everybody knew that's what Sam did when he was nervous or embarrassed about something. But apparently, Fred was too ignorant to notice. Instead he put on his trademark friendly smile. "Ok, if you say so." he said as he went back to his book. Sam sighed. Oh, how he would like to stop lying to himself. The truth was that he really liked her, and shy as he was, he never told her. His expression saddened with that thought. He decided to concentrate on his book, but he couldn't anymore.

~_In the TV area, Rec. Room_~

Roberto and Ray were sulking on the couch. Ray looked like he was about to fall asleep, and Roberto was listening to the sounds that Bobby's Lindbergh game station was making. Bobby was playing an addition to SEGA's the House of the Dead, the House of the Dead EX, a game both Roberto and Bobby loved. Normally, if Roberto wasn't doing anything special, an image popped into his head. This time was no different. The image he liked so much, yearned for, overtook his thoughts. Every week he would dream about long, shining red hair and sparkling green eyes. Rahne. Whenever he heard her name, he had butterflies destroying his stomach from the inside out (same happens to Rahne… ). The thing that he liked about her the most was the look of sympathy and fascination in her gorgeous eyes every time he looked at her. He then thought a little more about Bobby's game.

The story behind the game was about a brilliant scientist named Dr. Roy Curien, who wanted to know everything about life and death. Therefore, he experimented on animals, humans and inhumans. One day, he created a rather pretty female zombie named Zobiko for his experiments. But Zobiko refused to listen to doctor Curien, who was enraged by that and threw her into his jail. The girl didn't know what awaited her nor what her faith would be. One day, she met a prison guard. He was a fellow zombie named Zobio, also created and captured by doctor Curien. Zobio had broad shoulders and was a really muscular and tall man, at least 3 heads taller than the imprisoned girl. They began talking and Zobio visited her cell more often. Eventually, they fell in love and Zobio made a promise to Zobiko to bust her out and escape together. As told, Zobio bravely broke down her door and they fled, followed by brainwashed zombies. They managed to escape doctor Curien's evil creations and they had a bright looking future together.

Like Zobio in the game, Roberto would like to be Rahne's hero and live a happily ever after with her, but he believed he couldn't. She was out of his league and there were so many other boys that would care even more for her, he believed. Though he never stopped dreaming. He was about to fall asleep when he heard the game noises quiet down. He wondered what was going on, so he stood up and decided to go and take a look.

~_With Bobby in the game station_ _area, Rec. Room_~

Bobby was busy playing the House of the Dead EX, a game he really loved to bits. With the gun and the pedal he was killing the crazy zombies one by one. While playing, Bobby realised something and paused the game. "Damn! I still have to call Kurt about that game I lent to him." He began rummaging his pockets for his cell phone and something fell out of his pant pocket. "What's that?" He crouched down to grab it. "It's a piece of paper with…oh shit!" He thought, remembering what that piece of paper was. "No one can know about this!" He said to himself and he quickly hid the paper back in his pocket.

"Know about what?" Bobby heard a voice behind him say. "OH FUCK OH FUCK! Don't panic, Bobby, stay calm." Bobby thought, trying to calm himself as he slowly turned around with his fake friendly smile. He innocently tilted his head, the piece of paper still in his hand in his pocket. "Oh that? I was just talking to myself. Don't worry, Roberto." He smiled again and turned around to continue his game, sweat forming on his forehead. Roberto grinned as he stepped forward. He saw the piece sticking out of Bobby's pocket.

"You don't usually talk to yourself, Bobby." "_Please drop it!_" "And can you explain to me…" "_No__,_ _Roberto, please don't_!" "…what THIS is?" Roberto grinned as he grasped the paper out of his scared friend's pocket and held it above his head, waving it around. Bobby panicked and turned around, seeing Roberto waving his all-time secret. "NO YOU DON'T! Give it to me, please!" Bobby pleaded. "Now let's see what's on it…" Bobby hung his head, knowing he had lost. Roberto looked at Bobby, then back at the piece of paper he was about to turn over. He thought of Rahne. "I can't do this, this isn't funny. I saw it earlier and I know what it is. It's not worth it." Roberto thought as he handed the paper back to Bobby.

The prankster looked up, expecting proper embarrassment. He was surprised to see Roberto handing him the paper. "I'm sorry, Bobby, it wasn't funny." Bobby took the paper and smiled at his friend, knowing where he was going. "If I were you, I wouldn't like it either. Friends?" said Roberto as he happily extended his hand to Bobby. Bobby shook it good. "Friends." He smiled as he gently stroked the piece of paper in his hand with his thumb. It was a photograph of Jubilee that he cut out of the yearbook. "C'mon bro, let me show you how I will beat your ass at Street Fighter 2." Bobby grinned evilly as he dragged a laughing Roberto with him.

~_With Amara, Amara's aunt's house_~

**Amara's POV**

I carried my 2 enormous suitcases to my aunt's house. Even though the taxi driver offered me to carry my luggage for me, I insisted on doing it myself. Panting, I walked up to the front porch and put my suitcases down with a thud. I quickly fixed my hair and then rang the doorbell. "OH AMARA, HUNNY!" Aloïs smiled madly when she saw her only niece before her. I laughed at the happy woman before me, walked up to her and gave her a big hug. "It's been 2 years, and she hasn't changed a bit!" I thought.

That "happy woman" was Amara's aunt, Aloïs Aquilla. She was about 36 years old, only a few years younger than her deceased sister Amelia Aquilla, Amara's mother. Lucius Aquilla, Amelia's husband, was devastated. With this loss, Amara theoretically became queen of Nova Roma.

Aloïs was a beautiful and young woman, being 36. She was part of the royal family of Nova Roma, but chose for a regular life. Now Aloïs lived in New York City, not too far from Bayville. She was a beautician at a nearby beauty farm and had a great fashion sense. She was always beautifully dressed. Today, she was wearing a white peplum top, a long black skirt and white laced heels with chunky wooden heel. She had her long brown hair in a high neat bun (for pictures, see profile). Her lips and nails were painted a bright red. She let go of the smothered Amara in her arms and gently grabbed the girl by her shoulders.

She smiled. "Dear, you look awfully tired. Why don't you sit down and I'll make you some hot chocolate. How does that sound?" "Sounds great, aunt. I just have to get my luggage real quick, it's still on the front porch." I went to get my suitcases, but Aloïs stopped me. "No way you're doing that. Just you rest, and I'll get them. As if you're not exhausted enough already!" She put on a fake stern face. I wanted to protest, but she cut me off. "But aunt, I…" "No but aunt I's! You sit down and I'll be right with you." She sung, and walked off. "That's how I remember her," I thought, "sweet but stubborn."

I looked down at myself. I hadn't changed out of my toga yet, and I smelled really bad. I guess traveling without stops does that to you. My hair was a mess too. It looked puffy and kind of wet. "Bleurgh!" I thought, as I touched my hair. "I'm in desperate need of a shower. And new shoes too, apparently." I was wearing the traditional clothing of Nova Roma, which consisted of a traditional white toga and long brown Roman sandals (for pictures, see profile). My toga had brown stains on it and my sandals were completely worn out. All the running around took its toll on my clothing.

I looked around at the interior of the house. It was cosy, not too big. There were various Nova Roman paintings and statues in the living room. That made me feel very much at home. Carpets and mats were scattered on the floor, making it very soft to walk on. Half of the room was candle-lit, but a giant black bureau lamp provided most of the light. The couches were light brown, matching the caramel walls.

I heard my aunt's heels click towards me. She held onto a tray with 2 cups of hot chocolate, cookies and whipped cream. She offered me a cup. "There you go, hun." "Thanks." I smiled. "Now tell me, how's everything been?" I sipped my cup and looked at her. "It's been a mess, really. There was a big strike. All of the largest companies' employees gave up work. They found that they didn't get paid enough, but my dad couldn't afford to give all of them a raise. He wanted me there to help him make the right decisions. We worked everything out, eventually. It wasn't easy, but somehow we did it. Everything's peace and quiet now." I ended the story with a smile. Aunt Aloïs kept listening all the time and gave out a sigh when I was done.

"Well, I'm certainly glad everything's okay now." She sipped her cup. "Look at you." She lifted my chin and I gave her a weak smile. I could barely keep my eyes open. "You should get some sleep. I made up the bed in the spare bedroom, you can sleep there. Oh, don't worry about your luggage, it's already in your room." She smiled a warm smile. I was really grateful for what she did for me. She was a really caring woman and I admired that about her. "Thanks, aunt. I'll just take a quick shower before bed if that's okay." "Do you really have to ask that, dear? My house is your house!" She said with a cheerful voice. I laughed and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, aunt." "Goodnight, Amara. Make sure to set your alarm, you have school in the morning." She called as I walked upstairs. "I totally forgot about school." I thought. "Oh, well."

I walked into the bathroom, took off my dirty clothes and stepped into the shower. What a great feeling! It was a real shame, I was so busy I forgot to shower. I dried myself off and blow-dried my hair. Luckily, my aunt also took care of my school stuff, like a backpack and other little things. So I packed my backpack and shoved all of my other stuff in there. Now there was 1 thing left for me to do, and that was unpacking and picking my school outfit.

The unpacking went rather quickly, but picking my outfit was something else. I had tons and tons of clothes! I went to Nova Roma with 1 suitcase and I came back with two. I had to buy a new one there to put all of my stuff in that I bought there. More than half of it were clothes and shoes! Sometimes, I just don't know when to stop.

After a while of deciding, I had my outfit ready, and I tried it on. I was wearing a short berry lace batwing skater dress, burgundy Jeffrey Campbell Harlow wedges and my Nova Roman silver lining ring-to-wrist bracelet (a real family piece that I always wore). That should do the trick! I had waist-long wavy dark brown hair that I always wore down (for pictures, see profile).

I looked at myself in the mirror. I often doubted myself, my appearance. Because I was a princess, father kept me inside all the time and I wasn't allowed to make friends. I was always alone, on my own. And my father, well, he wasn't much of a father really. It was because of him I was so insecure back then. But my trip back To Nova Roma really was en eye opener. After witnessing those fights and experiencing the extreme injustice, I changed completely; I wasn't that insecure and shy girl I was before. I was a whole lot tougher now. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a heartless bitch. I've just mentally improved, that's how I'd like to call it. I'm so much happier now that I believe in myself again.

I took my clothes off and put my pyjamas on, a black top and grey shorts. I put my hair up in a messy bun and then snuggled myself into the warm, freshly washed blankets that my aunt put there. My eyes looking at the ceiling, my head somewhere else. Tomorrow, I had to go to school again. I hope no one bothers me. What if the other kids don't like me? What if they think I'm just another boring new kid? What if they'll bully me? What if…

She was worrying again. All of her insecurities surfaced at once when, really, she had nothing to worry about. She was a really sweet girl; helpful, caring and understanding. She was always in for a laugh and normally, she didn't care what other people would think about her. But after 2 years without her friends and no one to comfort her, she was a little anxious.

She tried to brush it off and go to sleep. Tomorrow could be full of surprises for her…

* * *

><p><strong>DONE! A 8195 word chapter for you, you're welcome I just couldn't figure out where to stop, so now I must bear the consequences. I don't want to get your hopes up with such a long chapter, others will be around 4 or 5k (could be more). If it's only 2k, you're allowed to sue me. Hah, ok, with that out of the way, I want to explain the content a bit.<strong>

**I want to put all my interests into the story. I'm extremely into gaming and fashion (weird combination, I know, but weird is the definition of me) I want to share ALL of my interests with my readers, partly because I want to make the story more personal for you and for me. I hope that's ok with you guys!**

**Reviews or PM's are always welcome! Until next chapter!**

**~NoBassWithoutVoice**


End file.
